Commentary

Visitor visa rules to be relaxed for Chinese nationals

The Home Office has announced a package of measures aimed at simplifying the visa application process for Chinese visitors coming to the UK.

Under the measures:

Chinese nationals intending to visit both the EU and UK will, from November, no longer have to submit a separate UK visa application when they book with selected Chinese travel agents.

A new 24-hour ‘super priority’ visa service will be made available from summer next year. This will be in addition to the current priority service.

The VIP mobile visa service that currently operates in Beijing and Shanghai will be expanded. As part of the service, visa teams visit applicants at their home or work addresses to collect their completed application forms and biometric data.

The UK government recognises that China is a priority market for tourism and business and has stated that in 2012, 210,000 visas were issued to visiting Chinese nationals who went on to contribute around £300 million to the British economy.

Many of our education clients already very have strong links with Chinese universities and schools and have responded positively to these proposals.